Starch



l l ol Uivrrhid STATES' I JULIUS courses, or uincy, ILLINOIS.

TEo roubles inc ooPY-ii i} v 276,806

PATENT OFFICE.

STARCH,

srncrrxcarrozv forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,806, dated May 1, 1883.

Application filed October 9, 1882. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUS GUNTHER, of"

' ing their texture or fibers, givesa fire-proof character to the goods, or, in other words,

makes inflammable goods incapable of being inllamed or of kindling into a blaze. The importance of the invention will be readily recognized when we consider the number ol'appallin g accidents which have occurred from time to time, involving the sacrifice of thousands of lives as well as valuable property by the burning of highly-inflammable materials or articlcs-such as wearing-apparel, on rtaius, paper ornaments, bedding, and other goods-when brought in contact with flame.

'Nnmerous substances in solution have been proposed and employed to prevent such occurrences,'ihe same being used as a-special 3 a v the nest of these, which only admit of a charringot the goods, even it not injurious to the and separate means to impregnate the goods, or as a surface coating applied by brush; but

goods or detracting from their appearance,

are but seldom adopted, because, after washthe desired result is attained, and nothing is left i'or personal care or particularity, and by my improved starch not only may wearing-op parel, but fabrics of various kinds, including curtains, sccneries, bedding, and other articles in theaters and hotels, as wellas in family households, e rendered fire-proof when ex- 'starchthat is, for about every four (4) parts,

posed to flame, or so that they will only char at their place of contact with the flame, but not ignite or blaze.

In carrying my invention into practice I take starch of the ordinary or any suitable kind, and which may be obtained in the usual manner from different kinds of grain, seeds, bulbousplants, and other'articles or substances, and mix with the starch, before putting it up for market, the chemical substances by which the starch has its fire-proof character given it. Thus, after the disintegration of the seeds and other parts of plants containing starch by the usual methods-such as grinding, crushing, and washing-Whereby the starch becomes liberated with or'withont the aid of fermentation or use of chemicals, and when the supernatant liquid in which the starch forms a sediment is drawn ed, the residue, consisting of starch and .water, I treat as follows: To every seven (7) parts, by weight, of this moist starch, which is rate or iii: t 'e whole, eitherby hand or niachiuery, in any suitable vessel or vessels until a homogeneous mass is obtained. This may be done in ordinary starch-making apparatus,

and when the fecula or particles oi starch be come thoroughly impregnated with the added substances the whole mass is subjected to evaporation or dried as ordinary starch is dried or in any other suitable manner. It deof ammonia and boracic acid with the starch while in a moist state, the starch may first be dried separately-as, for instance, as it is ordinarily dried-and the sulphate of ammonia and boracic acid be thoroughly incorporated or mixed, either by hand or machinery, in any suitable vessel or vessels to obtain the same result; but in this case a greater proportionate quantity of the sulphate of ammonia and beracic acid fora given amount of the dry starch will be necessary than for the same given amount of the wet starch, on account of the absence of water in the dry starch, to give the same proportion of said substance to the actual 1 0/ ot'a part, liy'weight, (uiord or1ess,)of pure crystallized lgpragic not and thoroughly iucorpof as sired, however, instead of mixing the sulphate 2 "census by weight, of the plain dried starch about six (6)parts,byweight,ofsnipheteoi'ernmonieeud one-tenth part, by weight of boracic aciri. in either case-that is, whether the sulphate of ammonia and boracic acid be mixed with the moist starch, and the mess he subsequently drieri or be mixed with the cirierl starch of com merce-the compound is the same, and coilstitutes a fire-proof starch, ready, as a new orticle of manufacture, to be put upon the market for use as ordinary starch is used, and which will not injure the fabrics to which itis applied, but effectually makes them incapable of being inflamed or ignited into a blaze. Such article is very (lifierent to u mere solution of the same tire-proof ingredients, which, if eppliecl before starching the goods, loses its eli'ect, and if applied after ironing renders useless the not of ironing, the said solution, ifapplied after starching, making it impossible in many cases to iron clothes so prepare; and apart from these considerations is the feet that separately using a fire-proof solution is an indepenrlent operation which not only takes extra labor, but is very apt to be neglected when laundering goods, or the proportion of solution to be inisapplierl. My improved fire-proof sterch'rernoves all these objections. Of course the proportions or" sulphate of ammonia and boracic acid herein nnrnerl may be varied, and other ingredients be used I1, addition for mixture with the starch.

The improved compound or fire-proof starch may be put up as a dry powder for sale in botties or other suitable packages to protect it from dampness. "When using it the proportion may be about one part, by weight, of the starch to ten parts of boiling water, or about one part of starch. by measure, to seven parts or" water, more or less.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Petent- I 1. As a new article ofnianufacture, a fireproof starch in which ordinary or plain ciry starch has combined with it one or more chemical substances operating ioprevent inflammacility of goods or articles to which the starch may be applied, substantially as specified.

2. The ccrnbinatiOmiVith starch, of crystallized sulphate or" ammonia and crystallized ooiracic acid, the whole forming a fire-proof com pound or starch for use essentially as described.

3. In a starch for rendering fabrics fire-proof or incapable of beinginfiarned, the mixture, in about the proportions specified, of crystallized sulphate of ammonia and crystallized boracic acid, with ordinary or plain starch, substantially as herein sch i'orth.

JULIUS GUNTHER.

\Vitnesses:

J. F. HUG,

B. Annrzrnn. 

